Spatial pattern and differences of continent-scale inbound tourism are rarely studied.The changing characteristics of spatial patterns of the inbound tourism in Asian countries from 1998 to 2017 are revealed by use of Theil index, Gini coefficient, gravity center, spatial autocorrelation, and some key factors of these patterns are preliminarily discussed. The results show that the spatial difference of inbound tourism in Asian countries can be roughly divided into two stages, that is, fluctuation stage (1998-2004) and continuous decline stage (2005-2017). The high and low developed countries of inbound tourism show a random distribution trend, some countries are always in the high or higher level, while most countries are always in the low or lower level. In recent years, the gravity center of inbound tourism in Asian countries has shifted eastward to the south at an accelerated speed, and a “high value agglomerations of inbound tourism” has basically formed in eastern, southern and east southern Asia. However, there is no spatial autocorrelation in inbound tourism in Asian countries.It is found that FDI, air traffic and national economic level have significant impacts on spatial differences in inbound tourism in Asian countries.

inbound tourism; spatial pattern; gravity model; spatial autocorrelation; Asian countries